Feminism is causing women to get beaten by their husbands - Pete Edochie

“Feminism isn’t something black people are known for. Once a woman leaves her parents to meet her husband and take his surname, she is to be submissive to him. If she wasn’t married, she can do whatever she wants,” the Nollywood actor said.

The 74-year-old added that "women walk and show off their behinds, it’s so that men would find them. If you see such a woman and express your marriage interest, then she starts walking properly. Our women now plunge into feminism nowadays".

In an interview with BBC Igbo, the actor known for his conservative principles lamented that it is unfortunate some women now do not keep their husbands name neither do some of them know how to cook.

“My mother was not educated but she would cook all sorts of soups, including bitter leaf, Oha, Ogbono, Okro, Egusi, Ukwa, and what have you. My father would always get back home hurriedly to eat what his wife had cooked," he recounted.

Pete continued that "today, our wives can’t even cook anymore" and emphasized that "women who can’t cook aren’t supposed to call themselves women" before adding that "and feminism is what causes women to be beaten up in marriages.”

Wangi Mba Uzoukwu, Patience Ozokwor, Pete Edochie, Onyeka Onwenu and Genevieve Nnaji at the Africa Magic Igbo launch in Enugu ece-auto-gen

“You complain to a woman and she retorts. It becomes unbearable, so you stretch your arm and deal her a slap. Domestic violence starts. I don’t like seeing women crying because it hurts me deeply. But it is the fault of the woman herself a lot of times,” Pete Edochie explained.

According to the actor considered a legend in the Nigerian film industry, feminism has no place in Nigeria’s culture stating that men do not worship women as the whites do.

“To be honest, the understanding of women is low. I’m not a misogynist but I’ve associated with them a lot, even at work. In the west, women could join forces and accuse a male colleague of assault. The man resigns. This can’t happen in our culture. As a young woman, if pedestrians don’t admire you, you’d weep for fear of not being beautiful,” he said.

Talking about some foreign cultures he does not conform to, Pete Edochie stated that kneeling to propose marriage to a woman is wrong. He explained that any man who does that transfers the headship of his family to the woman.

“I’m a strong adherent of culture. It’s just like kneeling on entering a church because there’s a higher being to whom you’re paying respect. Men climb trees to tap palm wine. How does it look if women do the same? Today women dictate to me," the actor said.

Pete Edochie also noted that “it wasn’t like that in our days. How women talk to men nowadays isn’t how we were raised. My mother was never beaten. My wife and I have been married for 52 years. I never beat her. My five married sons don’t beat their wives.”